About IYSB
Discover the tournament rules, leagues, and selection details
What is IYSB?
The International Young Scientists Battles (IYSB) is an elite academic forum for secondary school students. Unlike static exams, IYSB replicates real scientific reviews. Teams must present, critique, and defend scientific hypotheses, building both hard academic skills and soft presentation skills.
Leagues & Grading
Participants are divided into leagues based on their completed school grade at the end of the school year:
Junior League: Junior League: Graduated from grades 7–9.
Senior League: Senior League: completed grades 10–11 (or 12) (younger grades are also allowed to participate).
Informatics (FIB): Informatics (FIB) League: No division by leagues. All grades compete in a unified league.
* Classes are determined by the school class completed by the summer of 2026.
Team Composition
Each team must consist of exactly 3 to 4 students. One student must be designated as the Captain.
Team Leader Requirement
A Team Leader (руководитель) is mandatory for all international teams and out-of-town teams (originating from outside Almaty, Kazakhstan). For local teams from Almaty, a Team Leader is optional.
Online Selection stage
The selection stage will take place on July 19, 2026, as an individual online exam on the AutoProctor platform. The exact schedule depends on the subject and is listed in the table below.
| Subject | Time (GMT+5, Almaty Time) |
|---|---|
| Almaty Math Battles (AMB) | 10:00 – 12:45 |
| First Chemical Battles (FChB) | 11:00 – 13:45 |
| Youth Physics Battles (YPhB) | 13:00 – 15:45 |
| First Informatics Battles (FIB) | 11:00 – 13:45 |
* Selection details will be sent to all registered participants closer to the date.
Finals in Almaty
The offline final will take place over 5 days (August 23–27, 2026, for FIB — August 24–27) at IITU in Almaty. Teams will participate in Science Battles, where they take roles of Reporter, Opponent, and Reviewer.